The mayor toured the facility in December of last year (when it was originally scheduled to begin operations, according to earlier documents produced by contracting vehicle SOSSEC), at which time Mayor Nutter had stated “we’ll be open in March,” and further “…this center right now is proceeding ahead of construction schedule and below budget; it doesn’t get much better than that.” During the same tour, Nutter also touted the “key step” which the DVIC constituted in insuring the safety of Philadelphians.

The Delaware Valley Intelligence Center will provide tangible security benefits for our region,” said Mayor Nutter. “At the most basic level, any first responder in the field with a radio will have ability to connect with the DVIC and share real-time information with a host of agencies. This is a key step for our City and region, the sixth largest metro region in the Nation, in preparing to respond to emergency situations.

Entrance to DVIC on Oregon Avenue. Photo by Dustin Slaughter

While the Mayor’s statement was not explicitly addressing such concerns, Nutter has responded directly to media reports that frame the operational theory of the Fusion Center model as fundamentally flawed, its relative benefit to public safety inconclusive at best, with not infrequent cases where a clear overreach of law enforcement into Constitutionally protected fora is based on the flimsiest of contributions to the greater good. These critical reports in the press in turn cited a Congressional report finding the Centers to be wasteful and problematic, using the DVIC as a particularly egregious example. The Mayor disregarded these findings:

I’m not going to get into the details of that report, I think those kinds of ideas are wildly wrong and outlandish,”

In November, the Philadelphia ABC affiliate Channel 6 ran a story titled, Is Philly’s anti-terrorism center a waste of your money?, which raised prevalent issues of waste and lack of oversight connected with the DVIC as an “all crimes” Fusion Center model, as well as with the at least *6 year duration of the facility’s still incomplete construction.

An ambulance, windshield cracked and windows shattered, in the weeds on the DVIC’s northwest side

At a time of public calls for fiscal prudence and increasing scrutiny, as the City is facing a massive amputation to public services with the closing of approximately 2 dozen public schools – not to mention its entanglement in more than one large-scale labor dispute with vital municipal employees – the Mayor is well-advised to publicly account for a $10,000,000 initial investment in the project.

In December the Philadelphia Police Blog reported :“The City of Philadelphia has invested about half of the costs associated with design and construction of the new $20 million site. Federal grant dollars will cover the remainder of the costs. In addition, the City and federal government will also split the $2 million per year operational expenses as long as federal grant funding remains available.”

Now six months behind an original December 2012 projected opening it is unclear what agencies have taken up residency.

The 20th Street side of the DVIC has the appearance of an abandoned used car dealership, though some signs of activity can be detected within via fluorescent light peeking through papered windows. Photo by Kenneth Lipp

A guard from a private security company was at first upset at his photograph being taken, however a later encounter (after the pictures were deleted in the man’s presence) at the main entrance was more casual. This guard and another in the booth on Oregon Ave. were the only persons to be seen on property. In three visits to the DVIC, this writer has yet to see a vehicle exit or enter the premises.

For those who are hopeful for the delivery of the Center’s promised benefits to public safety, it may be a comfort to know that Philadelphia area law enforcement will not be driving blind while awaiting the ribbon-cutting. The Delaware Valley Fusion Center was envisioned for the purpose of networking under one “roof” the resources of many existing incident reporting mechanisms and indeed other fusion centers in a 5 state region, including a fusion center in nearby West Trenton with a nearly identical concept (also a SOSSEC project), and five fusion centers already operate in the immediate Philadelphia metro area.

About Kenneth Lipp

Kenneth is a writer and researcher. He’s from Alabama, and will not apologize for it. He moved to Pennsylvania in 2012, but has been in love with Philadelphia since a late-night stroll down Ben Franklin Parkway to the Art Museum in July of 2011 with the love of his life. He is interested in telling Philadelphia’s dynamic and absolutely unique stories with the zeal of a constantly enamored newcomer. Kenneth is also passionate about government transparency and protection of whistleblowers, most notably PFC Chelsea Manning. His research and reporting on law enforcement and surveillance have been featured in various publications, including Rolling Stone (Meet the Private Companies Helping Cops Spy on Protesters) and Popular Science (Boston Tested Crowd-Watching Software That Catalogues People's Skin Color). His training is in both genetics and history and he likes the joke about being a helicase and unzipping your “genes.” He’s driven to know, and thinks you can handle, the truth. Follow him on Twitter @kennethlipp.
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